Madison Living
Pieces fall into place for Town Madison
WRITTEN BY GREGG L. PARKER
PHOTOGRAPHS CONTRIBUTED
Town Madison is evolving from 530 acres of red-clay wilderness, which once stretched from Intergraph Corporation’s campus to Zierdt Road, into a dynamic center for commerce and cultural amenities.
Town Madison, a regional mixed-use development of upscale properties, will encompass more than 1 million square feet of new retail stores, restaurants and entertainment venues. In addition, the project will have 700,000 square feet of office space and 700 new hotel rooms. Louis Breland with Breland Companies, developer for the massive venture, said he expects to see construction begin for outparcels along Zierdt Road and Wall Triana, along with retail/restaurant space immediately adjacent to the baseball stadium, in late 2018 to early or mid-2019.
Looking at Town Madison’s layout, designs teams have created seven distinct neighborhoods or districts:
- Avenue Z – An entertainment district with a movie theater, upscale fitness facility, grocery store, restaurants and traditional retail shops and apartments.
- The District – A regional, premium center for retail shopping.
- The Exchange – A section of “large-format,” traditional retail stores, restaurants and hotels.
- The Heights – A neighborhood of single-family townhouses with proximity to retail, dining and office space.
- The Commons – A future development phase of single-family, townhouses.
- West End – A mixed-use retail area at Wall Triana with Home2 Suites by Hilton.
Backhoes and bulldozers first unearthed the clay soil for construction of Home2 Suites by Hilton. This Hilton hotel is rising at the intersection of Wall Triana and I-565, near Intergraph Corporation/Hexagon headquarters. Extended-stay and overnight travelers will enjoy several amenities, such as a pool, fitness center, an airport shuttle and the Inspired Table, a complimentary breakfast concept.
“We heard loud and clear from businesses and families that Madison needs more hotel rooms,” Breland said. “We have responded with a hotel that is perfect for the business traveler or families visiting for athletic events or family functions.”
Home2 Suites by Hilton will have 107 suite-style rooms and represent a $14-million investment. Estimated completion for the Hilton construction is spring 2019.
Undoubtedly, the stadium/multi-use venue will stand as an iconic landmark for Town Madison. Minor League Baseball and the Southern League have approved relocation of the Mobile Baybears to Madison, and BallCorps LLC, owner of the Mobile BayBears, plans for the team to begin the 2020 season in the Madison stadium.
“From the first day we visited Madison, we set our sights on this region as the ideal market for our franchise,” said BallCorps managing partner and CEO Ralph Nelson.
High-top tables, picnic areas, berm seating, children’s playground, company event-night areas and premium seating are some types of seating, along with standard stadium-chair backs, Madison Mayor Paul Finley said. The venue will seat 400 for dinners, with rooms for small groups. Visitors will also enjoy a walking track, concerts and firework shows. High school teams can play baseball, football and soccer games.
Adjacent to the stadium’s center field, the full-service Margaritaville Hotel with 150 rooms will satisfy tourists for a destination vacation or residents for a fun “stay-cation.” The first for Alabama, Margaritaville Hotel will boast several signature food and beverage concepts, a Margaritaville-branded retail store, 3,000 square feet of meeting space, a water park with sand volleyball court and lazy river and more diversions.
The lyrics and lifestyle of singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett inspired the Margaritaville concept, which evokes a passion for tropical escape and relaxation. Hotels offer the Margaritaville Restaurant, JWB Prime Steak and Seafood, 5 O’clock Somewhere Bar & Grill and LandShark Bar & Grill.
For a posh residential lifestyle, Tynes Development has joined the Town Madison team to build Station at Town Madison, 280 luxury apartments in a vibrant, mixed-use development. The Station will stand adjacent to multiple dining, shopping and entertainment options.
The Station will have four stories with elevators and top-end amenities. Residents can choose among a mixture of one-, two- and three-bedroom units, and carriage houses with garages will be available. Construction should start fall 2018, with completion in late 2019.
Eventually, 1,000 apartments will be available across Town Madison with collaboration by Breland Companies, Tynes Development Corporation, a Harbert-related partnership (B&J LLC) and Fuqua Development.
Existing roadways and new interstate access will take motorists to Town Madison, according to Joey Ceci, spokesperson for Breland Companies. Builders are referring to the main east-west connector as “Town Madison Boulevard” but will officially name the street later.
Town Madison will have five points of entry for motorists: Zierdt Road at Town Madison Boulevard, new interchange for I-565, Intergraph Way below I-565 connecting to Madison Boulevard, Graphics Boulevard at Wall Triana and Kellner/Dunlop Boulevard connecting to Wall Triana.
“All the pieces are falling in place for Town Madison,” Breland said. “Now that the roads are built and the new interchange is under construction, we will continue to see more tenant announcements, including the retail, entertainment and restaurants that follow the residential announcements in these types of mixed-use developments.”
For more information, visit brelandcompanies.com.
